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Welcome to Stories Podcast.
I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.
Today's story is a throwback episode.
Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around.
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Enjoy the episode!
The Narrow Bridge.
High up in the Himalayan mountains, in the chilly place above the clouds, there was a wild world of winter animals.
They came large and small.
They came strong and came slender.
Mighty goats leapt from craggy ledge to craggy ledge.
Ice-white leopards purred among the frozen stone.
Great shaggy yaks plodded, heads down, up and up, hoof-smoothed trails.
Musk deer and marmots and feathered weapon birds of prey and more.
Together, they struggled against the cold and lived on the mountain.
The mountain was their home, but it was also their greatest challenge.
The trails were narrow, the slopes icy and treacherous.
Move too loudly, step wrong and send a stone tumbling, and you may cause an avalanche that buries you deep under a blanket of snow.
Luckily, the animals that made their home above the clouds were brave and sure-footed, none more so than the goat.
The goats could move from one razor-thin ledge to the next needing next to nothing to find sure-footing or, in their case, sure-hooving.
As excellent as they were at balancing, they were even better at being stubborn.
The old goats were especially bad.
They refused to help, thought of sharing as a bad word and would rather sit outside in a blizzard than utter the word please.
So, with that in mind, it's not surprising that two of the oldest, most stubborn goats of all would eventually meet on the mountain.
One was the brown-gray of dirty snow, the other was the gray-brown of snowy dirt.
Both were irritable and prone to loud complaining.
They met on a cold afternoon just below the clouds where the greens were still fresh and delicious.
There, in the valley, there was a stone bridge above an icy river.
It was more of a ledge than a bridge, really, a slim sliver of stone above glistening waters.
The two old goats came to it at the same time, one from the left side and one from the right.
Narrow as it was, the bridge was impossible for two animals to use at the same time.
That meant you had to take turns.
It could be tricky, but most animals shared the bridge just fine.
If you saw someone needed to cross, you just waited for your turn.
Of course, the stubborn old goats couldn't see things that way.
Whoa there, old timer, called the left goat.
Move out of my way.
Old timer, we're the same age, called the right goat.
Now you move out of my way.
The goats both took a step forward, their hooves clip-clopping on the thin stone bridge.
Beneath, the water surged by in a gentle roar.
Well, hey now, said the left goat.
I'm crossing the bridge.
No, snapped the right.
I'm crossing the bridge.
They both marched forward, hooves tapping out a staccato beat on the stone.
Of course, the ledge was so narrow they had no choice but to meet in the middle.
Their horns knocked and scraped together and they both huffed.
Now, at that point, less stubborn animals would have realized how silly it was to be stuck in the middle of a bridge all day.
But the old goats were not less stubborn animals.
In fact, in the whole world, there wasn't any pair of creatures more stubborn than these two.
Wait your turn, grunted the left goat.
I'm always first.
I'm always first. the right goat grunted back.
By this point, other animals had gathered around, waiting their turn to cross.
The ones in front groaned.
The ones in back climbed trees and craned their necks to see what the holdup was.
When they saw the two goats head butted together in the middle of the narrow bridge, they rolled their eyes.
Just take turns, someone called.
"'No!' cried out the left goat.
"'Never!' yelled the right.
And instead of giving an inch, they both began to fight.
They dug their hooves and strained their legs and braced the stony ridge.
And being both of equal strength, they stood stuck on the bridge.
"'I'm not moving!'
"'Well, I'm not moving!'
"'But I'm not moving!'
And I'm not moving.
The goats both fought, Their horns locked, A stubborn head to head, And rather than just taking turns, They stood there still instead, The animals waiting to cross Their patience wearing thin.
They saw the goats, Their horns locked, And so the crowd chimed in Don't be stubborn, Just take turns.
The more you feud, the less you move.
The standoff is absurd.
Now we're all here waiting for you, Neatly in a line.
Think of us and our concerns.
Put aside your pride Right now.
Right here, we're getting mad.
This fact we can confirm.
Now's the time for lessons learned, or else this bridge you'll burn.
I'm not moving.
And I'm not moving.
I'm not moving.
I'm not moving.
The goats both fought a final fight A crashing, clashing leap And when they hit there on the bridge They tumbled in a heap Because they both couldn't concede A massive fall they took The animals in disbelief They crained their necks to look They all knew beyond a doubt They'd remember this odd scene These headstrong goats and their massive fall Had caused them all to glean Don't be stubborn Just take turns The more you feud, the less you move This standoff is absurd Don't be stubborn just take turns now's the time for lessons learned or else this bridge you'll burn this bridge Well, like the song said, both goats gave a final mighty push, driving their strong legs against the cold stone and springing forward.
Their horns crashed and locked together and they stumbled left and tumbled right and then spun together off the narrow bridge.
They sprang apart in the air and splashed into the icy water, sending up glassy plumes of chilling spray.
For a moment, all was still.
The animals gathered, waiting and watching.
Big and small, all of them were holding their breath.
One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three... Crash!
The two goats burst from the river, one on each bank.
They glared at each other across the icy water and shook their coats dry.
Above, the other animals began to laugh.
Maybe next time you'll just take turns, someone called.
The goats glared and grumbled and got back in line to wait their turns to cross.
The other animals watched on nervously, unsure of what the goats would do.
This time though, when they faced each other across the narrow bridge, they both paused and then took a step back.
After you, said the left goat.
No, after you, replied the right.
I insist.
And there, after much hemming and hawing and after ewing, the goats finally crossed the narrow bridge.
They were still the most stubborn creatures on the mountain, but maybe, just maybe, from that day forth they were a little less stubborn than they used to be.
And sometimes, when it comes to stubborn old goats, that's just about as much as you can hope for.
The End.
Today's story, The Narrow Bridge, was an adaptation of a classic fable written for you by Daniel Hines and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon, with a song by us both.
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